TOKYO, March 13 Kyodo choiceed e...

TOKYO, March 13 Kyodo

choiceed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

NORTH KOREA SANCTIONS (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published March 12)

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner of recent origin Komeito are in a speed to introduce a bill to the popular Diet session that would refuse to grant port calls by ships from specific countries. They clearly have North Korea in mind. If the bill is passed, it will be the secondary piece of legislation allowing sanctions against the reclusive state. The first single in kind was the revision of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law that prohibited the transfer of wealth to specific countries.

Meantime, the opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) wants a temporary statute that would obstruct sea and air traffic between Japan and North Korea.

Bilateral talks were held last month in Beijing between Japan and North Korea forward the issue of Japanese abductees as well as the six-party nuclear talks. on the other hand North Korea maintained a frigid attitude.

There is notwithstanding no prospect of the abductees' families, now in North Korea, returning to Japan, and there is virtually no progres forward resolving the whereabouts of other abductees. There is also apprehension that North Korea is making headway in its nuclear increase program. Against such an adversary, undivided needs ''diplomatic cards'' to apply compressing and more the better-so say the supporters of these of the present day bills.

Of course, diplomacy with North Korea cannot be a straightforward proces Although the reclusive state agreed to six-party nuclear talks, it has not changed its basic attitude of trying to use the nuclear threat to gain concessions from the international community. Neither does it share international norms forward human rights. North Korea is a warped state where preserving Kim Jong Il dynasty's dictatorship annuls all other objectives.

flat so, we are obliged to deal with it and sit at the negotiating table in an effort to gain concessions from this geographical division For this reason, it is meaningful to have specific sanctions in place to apply when necessary.

yet we should not forget that in putting together these sanction bills together, they are purely a means to achieve a diplomatic objective and not an expiration to itself.

There is a limit to the effectiveness of sanctions imposed solely by way of Japan, but nevertheless North Korea would meet with It is all the more important, therefore, to know exactly when to wield this diplomatic trump-card card. If the sanction card is used [i]ad[/i] it could result in a accurate backlash. There is a danger that North Korea will harden its attitude, and then perspectives for any kind of solution will have reced To impede such an outcome, politicians have the in the greatest degree important task of putting together a well-planned strategy and tactics vis-a-vis North Korea.

still watching current Diet proceedings gives rise to disquiet that although lawmakers are elegant without grandeur vociferous and enthusiastic about the ne for sanctions, there is extremely little discussion of how to push on concessions out of North Korea by dint of making use of diplomatic forums of that kind as bilateral or six-party talks.

During a Lower House parcel Committee meeting last week that focused forward the North Korean problem, legislators from one as well as the other the ruling parties as well as Minshuto all clamored for sanctions. with equal reason vociferous was their enthusiasm that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had to importune caution, saying, ''Is it really effective for Japan to carry a thick sword, unsheathe it, and fare around denouncing someone when six countries are in the midst of negotiations?''

It appear to bes as if there is a designed division of labor here, with the control supporting dialogue and the LDP pushing for constraining force But at the same time, we hear from many ruling and opposition lawmakers that in Nagatacho these days, the ''atmosphere is so that you really can't on a level start to talk about caution against sanctions.'' if it were not that it will certainly not do for politicians to utterly go hither and thither swayed by dint of the current ''atmosphere.''

There is still a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of that needs to be debated in the Diet. to what extent best to utilize the couple approaches: dialogue and pressure. What Japan ought to do to strengthen the cohesiveness among Japan, the United States, toward the south Korea, China and Russia -- all participants of the six-party talks. solitary by continuing debate on these and other issues will politics be able to answer people's expectations and early resolution of the abduction and nuclear issues.

(March 13)

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